Drop panel door fastener



W. 25, 19 c. o. Mam-mm ETAL 3,479,766

DROP PANEL DOOR FASTENER Filed July 5, 1967 F/eg INVENTORS CHARLES D. MECKL/N JAMES M FRANCIS nited States Patent US. Cl. 49236 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE slots directing the panel away from the door as it is lifted so that the panel is free of the locking tab.

Background and summary of the invention Some types of agricultural equipment, such as high clearance carriers, for example, are intended to be operated in the field when the crop is almost fully grown or is mature. Under such conditions, the plants can be easily damaged by the vehicle resulting in lower yields, and consequently less favorable profit potential. To avoid physical harm to the plant considerable etfort has been directed to eliminating protuberances and projections on the exterior surface, or otherwise streamlining the contours of the vehicle to preclude entanglement with the plants as the vehicle progresses through the field.

Equipment of this type is self-propelled and requires periodic and regular servicing, particularly to the engine components, to maintain efficient operation and to prolong their operating life. Access to the engine is therefore necessary in order to perform the maintenance procedures. On the other hand, as pointed out above, shielding or guards must be provided around the engine to prevent contact therewith by the plants during operation in the field. Providing hinged doors or covers, which when closed provide a smooth contiguous outer surface but which when opened permit easy access to the engine components, have long been utilized in the prior art. However, the closure means or fastening means which releasably secure the door in its closed position have included a projecting component, such as a handle, or when devoid of any projection incorporated a cumbersome, expensive mechanism, which was frequently difficult to operate.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a fastening means for a hinged door which does not present any exterior projections or protuberances, and which is easy to operate.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a fastening means for a hinged door which permits a smooth streamlined contour, devoid of external projections, and which is simple and inexpensive to construct, and which requires virtually no maintenance.

It is another object of this invention to provide a latch or fastening means which is self-adjusting to compensate for wear, for manufacturing variations, and for flexing which may occur in the framework while the machine is in operation.

These and other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon a perusal of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a high clearance carrier having an engine cover or door which incorporates a fastening means according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view of a portion of FIGURE 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 3 is a detail view in elevation of the finger access openings in the fastening means of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the drop panel raised and the door pivoted toward its opened position;

FIGURE 6 is a view of the drop panel element in the fastening means; and

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIGURE 2;

Description of the preferred embodiment There is shown in FIGURE 1 a high clearance carrier, indicated generally at 10, which is illustrated as an example of the type of equipment which operates in a mature crop for the application of various chemicals, such as herbicides and insecticides in a cotton field, for example. The carrier 10 is provided with an engine 12, shown in dotted lines in FIGURE -2, and has an engine cover or door 14 which is hinged at 16 to appropriate supporting srtucture on the carrier 10. The door 14 is customarily provided with an open mesh or grid to permit the free circulation of air to pass the engine. As best seen in FIGURES 4 and 7, a fixed vertical support 18, which is arranged to blend smoothly with the streamlined contour of the exterior surface of the carrier 10, is positioned adjacent the free vertical end of the door 14. A generally U-shaped channel member 20 is secured to the vertical free end of the door 14 and includes a long leg 22 and a short leg 24. The long leg 22 has a length sufficient to contact the exterior surface of the fixed support 18, to thereby prevent contact with the engine, while the short leg 24 will pass by or clear the leading edge of the vertical support member 18. While the short leg 24 may be oriented parallel to the long leg 22 it is preferable that it be angled away from the long leg to facilitate fastening of the door and to compensate for various factors, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. A drop panel 26 having a pair of vertically aligned slots 27, which slots are parallel and angle upwardly away from the door 14 is slidably secured to the fixed support 18 by a pair of smooth headed bolts or pin means 28 which extend through the support member 18 and through the slots 27 within the drop panel 26. The drop panel is secured on the bolts 28 by a washer 30 and a nut 32, which threadedly engages the inner end of the bolts 28. Under the influence of gravity the drop panels 26 will assume a position wherein the bolts 28 are in contact with the upper end of the slots 27. As illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 7 the drop panel 26 will be moved toward the door 14 so that the short leg 24 will come into contact with the drop panel 26. An access opening 34 is provided in the vertical support rnember, which opening is oriented substantially parallel with the slots 27 and is aligned with a lift hole 36 in the drop panel 26. The access opening 34 and the aligned lift hole 36 are designed to accommodate the finger of an operator. That is, by inserting a single finger through the access Opening 34 and into the lift hole 36 and exerting an upward force the drop panel 26 will be lifted, and due to the slanted orientation of the slots 27, the drop panel will be moved away from the door 14 until the leading edge, which comprises a lip portion 38, is substantially aligned with the leading edge of the fixed support 18. In this position, as illustrated in FIGURE 5, the short leg 24 will be capable of clearing both the lip portion 38 and the fixed support 18, thereby permitting the door 14 to be pivoted about its hinges to its open position. The lip portion 38 operates with the angled shorter leg 24 to effectively cam the door 14 into its final closed attitude, and also serves to more securely maintain the door in its closed position. The angled short leg 24 provides a funnel for receiving the lip portion 38, and hence, wide manufacturing variations may be tolerated. In addition, the angled leg 24 compensates for wear and adjusts to flexing of the various members resulting from operation of the associated vehicle over rough and irregular terrain. As will be noted in FIGURE 2 the hinges 16, while being axially aligned, are oriented so that they are inclined upwardly and forwardly. This permits the door to swing down as it is opened, thus facilitating a quick and eflicient release of the fastening means due to the fact that once the drop panel is raised, the door 14, under the influence of gravity, will immediately start to pivot from its closed position toward its open position.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the present invention provides a fastening means for a door which combines all of the features desired in this application, i.e. it presents a smooth, contiguous surface with no external projections; it is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and maintain; in cooperation with the slanted aligned hinges 16 it permits one-handed unlatching for convenience; it will automatically adjust for fiexure which occurs during operation, compensate for wear, and accommodate variations in manufacturing; and it provides a positive securing of the engine cover or door. It should also be noted that the present invention employs a single moving part. Finally, the present invention provides a latch which cannot in any way damage crops while the machine is operating in the field, and which is easily operated to latch and unlatch the door to perform the needed maintenance servicing.

It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fastener for a door hinged to swing between an open, unlatched position and a closed, latched position, of a compartment, comprising:

a pair of legs secured to the door;

a fixed support positioned and mounted on the compartment to permit said legs to pass thereby and the door swing open in one direction; a drop panel slidably secured against the interior side of said support within the campartment; said support serving as a backing for the slidable panel to reduce loading on the panel in a direction of door opening; slot means in one of said panel and support; pin means carried by the other of said panel and support, and projecting through said slot means;

said pin means and slot means cooperatively arranged to move said panel away from said door when a lifting force is applied to the panel, and to move said panel toward said door when the force of gravity lowers said panel;

said panel when lowered being capable of being positioned between said legs for engagement therewith to prevent swinging of said door in either direction and when raised to permit said door to swing open.

2. A fastener for a door hinged to swing between open and closed positions, comprising:

a generally U-shaped member secured to the door, and having long and short legs extending away from the doors;

a fixed support positioned to permit said short leg to pass thereby while prohibiting said long leg to pass;

a drop panel having at least a pair of slots therein;

said slots being angled upward and away from the door; and

fastening means carried by the fixed support and extending through said slots to slidably retain the drop panel on said supports;

whereby said panel is positioned between said legs to prohibit passage of said short leg when said fastening means is engaging the upper end of said slots and to permit passage of said short leg when said fastening means is engaging the lower end of said slots, and

said drop panel;

is provided with a lift hole, and is positioned adjacent the side of said support which is opposite the side contacted by said long leg;

and said fixed support is provided with an opening of sufiicient size and located to permit access to said lift hole;

whereby said panel may be manually lifted to a position wherein said fastening means are engaging the upper end of said slots to permit the door to be opened.

3. A fastener for a door hinged to swing between an open, unlatched position and a closed, latched position, comprising:

a pair of legs secured to the door;

a fixed support positioned to permit said legs to pass thereby in at least one direction;

a drop panel slidably secured to said support;

slot means in one of said panel and support; pin means carried by the other of said panel and support, and projecting through said slot means;

said pin means and slot means cooperatively arranged to move said panel away from said door when a lifting force is applied to the panel, and to move said panel toward said door when the force of gravity lowers said panel;

said panel when lowered being capable of being positioned between said legs for engagement therewith to prevent swinging of said door in either direction and when raised to permit said door to swing, and one of said legs is shorter than the other leg, the longer of said legs being engageable with said fixed support whereby swinging of said door is permitted in only one direction from said closed position, and said drop panel is positioned on the side of said fixed support whch is adjacent said shorter leg; said slot means comprises at least a pair of slots in said panel;

said pin means comprises bolt means carried by said fixed support and extending through said slots;

and further comprising nut means threadedly engaging said bolt means to secure said panel to said support while permitting said panel to slide relative to said support.

4. A fastener according to claim 3, wherein said panel is provided with a lift hole for manual engagement by an operator to exert said lifting force; and said support is provided with an access opening aligned with said lift hole.

5. A fastener according to claim 4, wherein said longer leg is substantially parallel to said support when said door is in a closed position, said shorter leg is angled away from said longer leg,

and said panel is provided with a transverse lip portion adjacent said door,

whereby said door is cammed into its closed position as said drop panel is lowered by the force of gravity.

6. A fastener according to claim 5, wherein;

hinge means support said door for swinging,

said hinge means being arranged to swing said door downwardly in its open position,

whereby the force of gravity tends to move said door toward its open position as soon as the drop panel 10 is lifted.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PHILIP GOODMAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 49-394 

